le he eagerly felt Denis's
breast and neck, ending by unfastening his doublet and thrusting his
hand within to feel for the beatings of his heart.

Those hot blinding tears fell fast, several of them upon Denis's
upturned face, and at the fourth the nerves therein twitched; at the
fifth there was a quick motion; and when six and seven fell together the
lad's left hand came up suddenly to give an irritable rub where he felt
a tickling sensation; and he opened his eyes, stared hard and blankly
for some moments in the countenance so near his own, and exclaimed
angrily:

"What are you doing?"

"Ah!" ejaculated Saint Simon, with a cry of joy. "Then the horses were
worth winning back, after all."

"Horses? Winning?" faltered Denis wonderingly; and then as his
companion snatched a hand from his breast, he cried again impatiently,
"Here, what are you doing to my face?"

Saint Simon dashed his hand hastily across his own, his already ruddy
countenance glowing of a deeper red, as he stammered out confusedly:

"Drops--perspiration--I have been having such a run."

"Drops? Run? My head's all of a buzz. Who ran? What have you been
doing to my neck?" continued the lad, passing his left hand across his
throat. "Something seemed to jerk across me just here. Ah, how it
hurts!"

He made an effort then to raise his sword-arm, but it fell back upon the
grass.

"Here, my shoulder's bad too," he cried. "Just as if my arm was
wrenched out of the socket." Then as his wandering eyes fell upon his
horse, "Oh!" he cried, "I understand now. I have been thrown."

"Never mind now," cried Saint Simon, in a choking voice, as he mastered
the hysterical emotion that had seized upon him. "You're alive, boy,
and we have saved the horses, and our credit with the--with the--"

"Comte," said Denis faintly. "I am beginning to recollect now. Here,
where's that ruffian who was galloping away?"

"You've killed him, I suppose," cried Saint Simon, "for there's blood
upon your sword. How was it, boy?"

"I don't know," said Denis dreamily; and then in an excited voice, "Yes,
I do!" he cried. "I remember it all now. He came galloping along on
the centre horse, with the others on each side at the full extent of
their reins. I stood there to stop them, and he came right at me to
ride me down. But I started a little on one side and thrust at him,
when my horse's tight rein caught me right below the chin, and at the
same moment my righ